Buying A New Home in Jacksonville Florida, Part 3 - Choosing a Community

This is the third in a seven part Series on Buying a New Home in Jacksonville Florida.

Congratulations. You have made the decision that buying a new home in the Jacksonville Florida area is the right decision for you. If you are new to the area, then you have a huge geographic choice.

Jacksonville Florida is one of the largest cities in the world, covering all of Duval County. Then there are Clay, St. Johns, Nassau and Baker Counties to consider. There is still plenty of land to develop and choices for buying a new home.

Here are 7 Factors you should consider when choosing a community in Jacksonville:

1. Commute to work or school - What is your ideal commute? What is the longest commute acceptable? Commuters in the Jacksonville area typically have about a 30-45 minute commute to and from work depending on traffic. If you are interested in buying a new home, there are many choices all over town to work with your commute.

2. Schools - If you have children in school, then this is often the most important decision as to where you will live. Parents are willing to have longer commutes to guarantee the schools they want for their children. Jacksonville offers excellent public and private schools.

3. Community Amenities - Jacksonville offers many styles of communities for every lifestyle. There are communities for first time home-buyers, gated communities, golf communities, waterfront communities, rural communities, swimming pool and tennis communities, 55+ communities and everything in between. Some communities combine many amenities and these are our CDD communities.

4. Lot Size and View - Lot sizes very from community to community. There are lots available for a lot premium that have a view. The view could be a pond, preserve or golf course. There are lots that back up to a wall on the road outside the community. Choosing a lot is an important step in buying your new home. If the lots are too small, then you will not be happy in the community when all the homes are built. Be careful when looking at lots with high lot premiums. There may be another lot that will work for you just fine that has little or no lot premium.

5. Home Size - It is generally considered the best investment to be one of the smaller homes in a community than to be the largest home or one of the largest homes. The largest home in a community may be harder for resale if not many buyers choose to build that size home. Find out what the largest home sizes are in the communities you are considering.

6. Shopping and Restaurants - Some new areas are ahead of the shopping. Be sure you are comfortable with the shopping or lack thereof before committing to buy a home in an area of Jacksonville that is not yet developed.

7. Look around the Community, the Amenities and the homes. How do the completed homes look? What does the landscaping look like? What does the entrance look like? What type of fencing is allowed? Does it look like there is pride of ownership both on the part of the developer and the people living in the homes? Communities develop a 'feel' and it starts with the developer and the first homeowners.

If you're thinking of buying a new home in Jacksonville Florida, we can help you answer these and other questions about "Choosing a Community" We work in the Jacksonville area, specializing in Clay County and portions of St. Johns County and Duval County. Call or text us at 904-673-2308 or email us at sharon@teamalters.com.

Part 1 - How Can a Realtor® Help Me?

Part 2 - Should I Buy a Spec Home or Build?

Part 3 - Choosing a Community

Part 4 - Choosing Your Lot and House Plan

Part 5 - Negotiating the Contract and Financing

Part 6 - Design Center and Options

Part 7 - Build, Walk(through) and Close!